Thursday, December 31, 2009

Getting in one last ride for 2009

Another year has gone by, and again I wonder where in the world it went. I've been lucky to be on vacation the majority of the last 5 weeks, but unlike our time in OK/AR the weather in CO hasn't been favorable lately. We haven't seen 40 degrees in over a week (average high in Dec is 48), and the snow has lingered around a long time.

I started today with a trip to the orthopedic doctor in Boulder. My shoulder has been banged up and hurting me, more than I've admitted, since crashing in Oklahoma and wanted a professional's opinion which is probably a bit more reliable than my self diagnosis via Google. I got good news, I think, in that it appears to be just a partial tear of the tendon that attaches the bicep to the shoulder. I've been doing most things, just with more pain than I wanted, but I wanted to make sure that I wasn't doing damage by riding.

So with assurance that I was OK to keep on with my normal routine, I decided to get out on the bike one last time before we turned the calendar page. Trails are still buried, heck even the side roads and paths are still buried, so I headed out on the dirt roads.


Breaking some new trail
From Last Ride of 2009 - Niner Snow Ride


A new meaty 2.35 rear tire was much more effective in the snow than my worn out Hutchison Python
From Last Ride of 2009 - Niner Snow Ride


Dirt roads were a mix. Some were sloppy with mud, other sections were still snowpacked
From Last Ride of 2009 - Niner Snow Ride


It was less than warm out today, self portrait all bundled up
From Last Ride of 2009 - Niner Snow Ride



I didn't really have any set route or agenda, just started pedaling east. I did my "typical" winter route but then added on the new bike path through the Sandstone Ranch back up to the house. I started down my secret, albeit less than legal, shortcut that lets me avoid a mile of pavement but had to quickly abort as there was an unexpected visitor, so I stuck to the pavement today. Not a big deal as it would have been a tough mile of breaking trail anyway.


The big wheels are really impressive on the snow/ice
From Last Ride of 2009 - Niner Snow Ride


These two divots are from where the camera bounced out of my pocket. Oops. Glad it was my old beater point and shoot.
From Last Ride of 2009 - Niner Snow Ride


Miles and miles of snow packed dirt roads. I saw more farm animals than I did cars.
From Last Ride of 2009 - Niner Snow Ride


Traffic was moving a little faster on the cross streets (I-25) than on my stretch of dirt.
From Last Ride of 2009 - Niner Snow Ride



Pulled up to the driveway right at 2 hours after I left, a nice spin through the countryside. Got in 24 miles of singlespeed bliss, just love the simplicity of that bike. Nancy performed admirably, and had the frozen badge of courage on her downtube to prove it.


From Last Ride of 2009 - Niner Snow Ride


From Last Ride of 2009 - Niner Snow Ride


The bike I always ride with the car that never gets driven
From Last Ride of 2009 - Niner Snow Ride



2009 is in the books. I'm sure I'll do the mandatory recap blog post, but its going to have to be in the new year. Here's wishing you and yours an even better 2010.

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